Quick Facts
common name :
Kirala, Yak kirila, kinnai,Apple mangrove
Scientific Name :
Sonneratia alba
Kingdom :
Plantae}
Clade :
Tracheophytes Angiosperms Eudicots Rosids
Order :
Myrtales
Family :
Lythraceae
Genus :
Sonneratia
Species :
S. alba
Conservation Status :
3
Type of Mangrove :
True mangrove
Type of Roots :
pneumatophores.
General Characters
Tree height upto 18m. Bark is Smooth, gray, finely fissured longitudinally.
Other Characters
Prefer high saline water and soil. Conical pneumatophores are much shorter than S. caseolaris.
Features of Flower
Flowers large 2-4cm long (10cm diameter) with 6 petals narrow white often inconspicuous, and many long white stamens that are pink at the base, forming a powder-puff shape. Stiff cup-shaped calyx with sepals broadly triangular and reddish on the inside.Flowers open during the night and are pollinated by bats.
Features of Fruits
pear-shaped (5-7cm) leathery. The tips of the calyx lobes bend back towards the stalk. Seeds white, flattened, tiny, buoyant (due to air-filled tissues in the seed).Surface is smooth.
Leaf Arrangment
Leaves nearly circular or spoon-shaped (5-12.5cm) tapering at the base, thick and leathery. Young leaves are pale green with faint tinge of pink at the leaf 'tip'. The leaves are arranged opposite one another.
Distribution
Mostly found in the west coast mangals from chilaw to Puttalam lagoon and kalpitiya peninsula.rare elsewhere
Range
Coastal areas from eastern Africa, through the Indian Ocean and tropical Asia to northern Australia and the Pacific to Vanuatu and the Solomon Isles.
Type of Roots
pneumatophores.
IUCN Red List Status
